Between the Moments
by tchelsaetehrock
Summary: Originally "Her Touch", now a collection of one-shots featuring the trio. Rated T for our favorite potty mouth Mugen. Definite Fuugen.
1. Her Touch

_Okay so hello! It's been AGES since I've written anything and published it on here! I recently got into Samurai Champloo, by the incomparable Shinichiro Watanabe, and by "into" I mean "obsessed with". This was an idea for a one-shot that just popped into my head one day, and for once I was actually inspired to write it down. The title is utter crap so please ignore it and just move on to the story itself._

**EDIT: **_There is now lovely fanart inspire by this story by the wonderful **roolph**! Check out her other Samurai Champloo art as well, she's awesome! (this thing won't allow entire URLs so replace the dots and slashes with "." and "/")_

roolph .com(slash)post(slash)89674004157

_Disclaimer: Neither Fuu, nor Mugen, nor Jin or any Samurai Champloo characters are my own, since they belong to Shinichiro Watanabe._

* * *

Her Touch

The logs on the fire shifted and cast sparks into the night as Fuu gazed up at the stars. It was a beautiful and clear night, and the trio had set up camp next to a gently flowing stream a couple hundred yards from the path they had been traveling. Across the fire from her Mugen sat sharpening his sword using Jin's whetstone that he had borrowed – well actually, more like stole temporarily, since he hadn't bothered to ask. The two sat in companionable silence, Jin having wandered off to go meditate a ways down the stream beside a small waterfall.

A small noise interrupted Fuu's contemplation of the night sky. She turned her head towards Mugen as he blew air upwards from his mouth to shift a lock of hair that had fallen in his eyes, only to have the same lock fall right back to where it was. She watched as he paused in his task to run a hand through his hair to pull it back from his face, but the bushy mass on his head wouldn't cooperate. She hadn't really paid attention to how long his hair had gotten recently – this was probably the longest she'd ever seen it.

"What are you gawkin' at?" he asked suddenly as he went back to sharpening his blade, his eyes down and focused on the task. She smirked.

"Just wondering if you look more like a ruthless thug with your hair longer or shorter," she said. "Because it's pretty shaggy now."

The whetstone continued to glide across the metal blade with a gentle _shink_ as he shrugged.

"Haven't had time to cut it," he said. She watched him for a moment, then decided offering wouldn't hurt.

"I could cut it for you if you'd like," she said noncommittally, shrugging one shoulder.

"Why the hell would you wanna do that?" he set down the whetstone and grabbed a cloth to begin polishing his sword, still not meeting her gaze as he focused on his hands. She didn't want to admit she'd always had a curious fascination with his hair, and figured this was a chance to fulfil her secret wish of touching it and running her fingers through it. She frowned at his tone.

"Geez, you don't have to get all snippy about it," she huffed. "It's not like I don't know what I'm doing, I've been cutting my own hair for a while."

Mugen's eyes met hers as he gave her his trademark just-to-piss-you-off smirk. "Believe me, I can tell," he said. "What with your bangs always being uneven, makes you look like a dumbass."

Fuu puffed her cheeks out in irritation as she crossed her arms. "If you must know my bangs are uneven because I _like_ them that way!" she said, indignantly. "It's a hair style!"

"Whatever," he rebuffed her, turning his gaze back to the gleaming metal of his sword. His hair fell in his eyes again and he grunted in frustration, glaring at the offending lock. Fuu giggled at the sight because it only made him look silly with his glare being crosseyed. His eyes refocused on her and glared at her instead. She pursed her lips to stifle another giggle but couldn't contain the small smile on her face. Mugen grunted again, discarding the polishing cloth and sliding his sword back into its sheath. He whipped the hidden tanto out of the other end and held the handle out to her as he scowled at her from across the fire.

Fuu was genuinely surprised he was willing to let her near his head with a blade, and one she suspected was rather a lot sharper than her own tanto. A thrill went through her, though, at the prospect of getting to fulfill her wish. She stood and walked around the fire to kneel next to him, grabbing her blanket as she went. The scowl didn't leave Mugen's face as she took the knife from him. She threw her blanket around his shoulders.

"What the hell is this for?" he asked, one eyebrow raising. She rolled her eyes.

"So you don't get little bits of hair stuck in your clothes," she replied. For once he said nothing, but slouched to settle his chin in his hand just as she was raising the knife to start cutting. Fuu tugged back on his shoulder to force him to sit up straight, and he whipped his head around to glare at her.

"Don't slouch!" she scolded. "That just makes it harder for me to get down by your neck." She grabbed the top of his head and forcibly turned it so he was facing forward again. He swatted her hand away.

"Stop pushing me around, you dumb broad!" he said, extremely irritated. Her grip on the tanto tightened, and Fuu poked his head in annoyance with her free hand.

"Well I wouldn't have to if you'd just sit still and let me get on with it!" she said, just as heated.

"Whatever," Mugen huffed. "Just don't go crazy, alright? I don't want you fucking up by cutting it too short in one spot and end up having to shave my whole head. Fish-face would never let me hear the end of it." She chuckled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"I promise I won't. Have some faith in me, will ya?" she joked. The scowl on Mugen's face lessened until it was just a downturn of his lips.

He tilted his head forward as she grabbed a chunk of hair at the base of his neck and began sawing away, gradually making her way up the back of his head. When she finished with that section she made him shift his whole body so she could get better light from the fire to do the sides of his head. He grunted in annoyance but did as she asked. When she had finished the sides she scooted around so they were face to face and started on his bangs. Mugen found it hard to look anywhere but at her slender neck and her chest, and certain thoughts came unbidden to his mind which he tried to push away. She was too focused on the task at hand to notice his staring, her bottom lip between her teeth as she concentrated. Mugen had just shifted his gaze to her lips when she sat back suddenly and smiled at her handiwork, setting the tanto knife on the ground beside her.

"There, that looks about right!" she said cheerfully, silently congratulating herself on a job well done. Before Mugen could shift to stand up, though, she had scooted herself around to the back of him and began running her fingers through his hair, gently rubbing his scalp as she did so. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing, but she beat him to it.

"Don't get your hakama in a twist, I'm making sure all the snipped off bits are out of your hair," she explained, and continued to run her slender fingers through his dark hair. She was surprised how soft it was, and was grateful that he had actually washed it when they had stayed at an inn two nights previous. She couldn't see his face, but Mugen's eyes slowly shut as he tried not to enjoy the feel of her hands in his hair. Her touch sent a slight shiver down his spine.

Fuu quirked a brow, noticing the tremble that went through her bodyguard. An idea presented itself to her, and she grinned wickedly at the back of Mugen's head. Very gently, she put her fingertips at his hairline at his temple and brought them down to softly scratch behind his ears. Mugen caught himself before a contented groan escaped his throat, but didn't make any move to stop her. Fuu pouted, expecting him to react. She brought her fingers again to his temple, and began rubbing small circles as her fingers slowly slid back through his thick hair. The ever-present dent between his eyebrows softened, but still no noise escaped his mouth to show his contentment.

Fuu frowned at the back of Mugen's bushy head, frustrated that she hadn't gotten another reaction out of him yet. Deciding to give it one last shot, she placed her fingers at the base of his hairline on his neck and put harder pressure on them as she dragged them up into his hair, spreading her fingers as she went. A deep hum of pleasure escaped Mugen's lips before he could catch himself, and his eyes snapped open to glare at the fire. Fuu grinned triumphantly to herself, but put on an innocent face when Mugen peeked over his shoulder to turn his glare on her.

"What?" she asked, her brown eyes shining with innocence.

"What kinda game you tryin' to play with me, girlie?" he snapped.

"What makes you think I'm trying to play a game with you?" she asked, still feigning ignorance. His frown deepened.

"You sure were rubbin' my head for a lot longer than you needed to," he said, turning to sit cross-legged in front of her and leaning forward so he could get in her face. She returned his frown.

"Well I didn't hear _you_ complaining, now did I?" she retorted, not backing down from his intimidation tactics. For once, her comeback seemed to have shut him up. His lower lip jut out in a pout as his eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He hated to admit it even to himself, but the feel of her slender fingers running through his hair had left a slight tingling in his chest and…_other_ areas.

"Hmph," he grumbled, and turned his back to her to face the fire again, throwing her blanket from his shoulders to the ground. He grabbed his tanto from where she had set it down and quickly slid it into its hidden sheath. Fuu sighed, scooped up her blanket, and stood to return to her sleeping mat across the fire, shaking out the trimmed hair as she went.

"_Gee, Fuu, thanks for cutting my hair, now people won't confuse me for Jin with his hair down_," she mumbled to herself as she sat on her mat and made herself comfortable. She lay back, her hands folded on her stomach as she returned to stargazing.

Across the fire, Mugen ran his hand through his mop of dark hair, relieved to have it back to the shorter length. The tips of his hair felt softer than when he cut it himself, not as rough. Sparing a glance at Fuu, who ignored him, he stood and made his way to the water to catch his reflection in what little light the stars and crescent moon provided. He turned his head this way and that, and grudgingly acknowledged that she had done a pretty good job. Certainly neater than he would have done.

He returned to his mat by the fire, and lay back with his hands behind his head. He yawned loudly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Fuu catch his yawn and put up a hand to cover her gaping mouth. He brought his forearm up to cover his eyes.

"Good night," a voice said softly across the fire. He peeked out from under his arm to see Fuu on her side, with her back to the fire. He grunted in response, and covered his eyes again before drifting off to sleep, dreaming of slender fingers in his hair.

* * *

_Was it decent? Sucked? Let me know!_


	2. Sunburn

_I guess I'm gonna make this a series of one-shots now?_

_So I originally had a different opening to this, but it was lost along with my original hard drive when I sent in my computer for repairs because I'm an idiot who didn't back up her data beforehand. FML. At least I handwrote most of the rest of it so it wasn't a complete loss._

_Inspired by **roolph's** cute sketch: tumbl r__.com (slash) post (slash) 88645327032_

_Jin's enigmatic quote is by Martha Graham, which I guess fits with the anachronistic sense of the show. _

_I don't own Samurai Champloo. If I did there would have been at least 2 more seasons, just sayin'._

* * *

Sunburn

The sun shone brilliantly in the pale blue sky, and the ocean waves lapped against the shore. Even with the cool wind blowing off the water and swirling around the cliff face looming above the small cove, it promised to be a very warm day.

Fuu closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun and sighed contentedly. Behind her, Jin stood as stoic as ever, with Mugen next to him, his hands behind his head and a blade of grass between his teeth.

They had stumbled upon this natural cove when Fuu had nearly tumbled over the cliff while looking for a spot in the forest to relieve herself. The trio found a narrow path winding down the cliff face and now stood on the sandy shore. Fuu breathed in the balmy air.

"We should camp here for the night!" she said brightly. She kicked off her zori and dug her toes in the sand.

"What? It's barely even midday!" Mugen said behind her, spitting the blade out the blade of grass. Fuu turned to face him and put her hands on her hips.

"We've been walking for three days straight, and I don't know about you guys but I'm exhausted!" She slumped her shoulders for effect. Mugen smirked and stretched his arms above his head.

"That's just because you're a weak little bitch."

Fuu opened her mouth to respond, but Jin broke his silence.

"The nearest village is another day's walk, but the only road passes over a small mountain." He folded his arms in his sleeves. "I agree with Fuu. We should stay here to rest and regain our strength."

Fuu smiled smugly at Mugen. "See? Two against one! You've been outnumbered." She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "Think of it as a mini vacation!" Mugen shrugged.

"Whatever," he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. Jin nodded, and Fuu beamed and clapped her hands together.

"Awesome! Okay, I'm going to go get some firewood and Mugen, you can fish for our lunch-"

"I wish to be the one to fish," Jin interrupted. Fuu paused in designating setting up camp, and she and Mugen turned to glance at the stoic samurai in disbelief. Mugen quirked a jagged brow.

"Uh, no offense, Four-Eyes, but you pretty much suck ass at fishing," he said. Fuu glared at him, and punched his shoulder, but Mugen ignored her.

Jin's eyes fixed on a rock jutting above the water, just wide enough to sit on, a few yards from the shoreline. The perfect spot to cast a line.

"Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired," he said enigmatically. His eyes flashed to his two companions, and there was a look of steely determination in them that brooked no argument. Mugen and Fuu exchanged a look laced with doubt.

"Um, alright. I guess we'll leave you to it," said Fuu. "Me and Mugen will go get firewood, and maybe see if there are any berries or nuts to pick, too."

Jin nodded in acknowledgement, and Fuu grabbed Mugen's sleeve, tugging him back towards the path going up the cliff. He shrugged out of her grip and looked down at her, a frown on his rugged face.

"You do realize that by letting Four-Eyes do the fishing we probably won't get to eat today," he commented. Fuu's lips curled up in a half smile, and she shrugged. She checked to see if Jin was completely out of earshot before leaning over to whisper in Mugen's ear.

"Maybe some of these saltwater fish will take pity on him and sacrifice themselves. Or maybe they'll be dumber than freshwater fish and he'll actually be able to outwit them." She giggled at her own joke at the expense of her friend, and Mugen smirked.

"But maybe we should nab a squirrel or something," she added. "Just in case."

Thirty minutes later they had a rim of stones set in the sand, and a neat pile of logs ready to be set ablaze to cook Jin's promised catch. Jin was perched on his rock with his line in the water, Fuu was knee deep in the cool waves with her kimono hiked up, and Mugen rested against a driftwood log, his head tilted back and eyes closed. The sun continued its way across the sky, and the heat increased just enough to be uncomfortable. Soon, the two body guards and the young woman were sweating through their clothes.

Fuu tugged her kimono where it rested against her collarbone. Even with the water cooling her legs, the sun still beat down on her head and shoulders mercilessly. She sighed and made her way back to the fire pit, her wet feet gathering sand as she went. She plopped down next to Mugen with a huff.

"Geez, I didn't think it's be _this_ hot today," she said, trying and failing to tie back her sleeves so her arms could get some air.

"You think this is hot?" the young man beside her asked. He lifted his head to look at her. "Compared to where I'm from this is practically normal." He leaned back and closed his eyes again.

Fuu was surprised to hear him mention his past so casually, especially after the incident with Koza and Mukuro where they betrayed him and he very nearly drowned. Life in the Ryukyus was a taboo subject even by normal standards, so Fuu wasn't sure how to reply without bringing to mind painful memories, both Mugen's and hers. Instead, she let her gaze wander over to Jin perched on his rock, and noticed he had removed his dark blue kimono due to the heat, and the pale skin of his back shone like a beacon. Fuu blushed and averted her eyes, embarrassed that she had been staring, and even more surprised that Jin had abandoned modesty.

Mugen opened his eyes to peek at the unusually silent girl next to him, and noticed the pink tinge to her cheeks. He reached out a tan finger to poke the soft flesh below her eye.

"Finally getting' some sun there, girlie?" he teased. She swatted his hand away and frowned at him. Lucky for her Mugen hadn't noticed Jin shirtless and made the connection between that and her embarrassed blush. Otherwise he would have made her life hell with the inevitable teasing.

Seeing he wasn't getting a rise out of her, Mugen gave up and looked out to sea, finally noticing Jin's bare back. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

"Looks like Four-Eyes has got the right idea!" he said, sitting up to shrug out of his red haori and gray stitched shirt. Fuu's eyes bugged out of their sockets as she tried to scoot away from the pirate on her butt.

"W-What are you doing?" she squeaked as Mugen's tanned torso became visible. He draped the garments over the log and resumed his previous sitting position.

"It's hot! What else do you expect me to do?" he huffed, running his fingers through the sweat soaked hair at his temples. Her eyes briefly lighted on his toned chest before she shook her head and averted her eyes with her hand.

"To at least maintain some decency! This isn't a brothel, you know!" she said vehemently. Mugen scoffed.

"It's not like there's anyone around to see us, for fuck's sake," he grumbled, settling against the log and stretching out his arms along the length of it. Fuu pouted, but her eyes kept glancing back at the rather delicious sight of Mugen's lithe upper body exposed to the sun. By now she was sweating profusely in her kimono, and not all of it was due to the sun. She tugged on her collar again.

"Just take your friggin' kimono off if you're so damn hot!" Mugen said, annoyed. "It's not like it's nothing we haven't seen already!" Fuu gawped at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She instinctively brought her hands to her chest and angled her body away from him. Mugen smirked and gestured towards her chest.

"When you were the dice roller in that gamble between the two yakuza gangs a while back. You were practically naked from the waist up." His smirk stretched into a full-on wicked grin. "And let me tell you, those bindings don't really cover that much, do they?"

By now Fuu's face was bright red, and she ground her teeth.

"I had _one sleeve_ off my shoulder! I had to improvise and play the part or they probably would've killed me!"

Mugen chuckled. "Eh, you're prob'ly right. Still no idea how you ended up there in the first place."

Fuu sighed. "Me neither, to be honest. Maybe it was fate."

Mugen said nothing, and looked over to Jin's perched figure. He hadn't moved at all since disrobing.

_Looks like fish for lunch is a no-go_, he thought, and he stood to slip his geta on his feet and pull his gray shirt on over his head. Fuu looked his way, curious.

"Where are you going?" she asked. He jerked a thumb towards the path leading up the cliff.

"Four-Eyes isn't doing his job, so I'm gonna nab us a rabbit or two to tide us over," he replied. Fuu watched him as he climbed the path and disappeared into the shade of the trees. She turned her gaze back to her pale companion on his rock, still as a statue. One corner of her mouth quirked up as she silently pitied the poor man.

_I admire his determination, but even samurai must know when they're fighting a losing battle_, she thought, chuckling. A breeze blew off the water, cooling her neck and face, but the heat was still uncomfortable. Fuu pursed her lips and checked to make sure Mugen wasn't returning yet. Jin's back was to her, so she shrugged off her sleeves and let the top half of her kimono hang down, held up by her obi.

_Thank goodness I thought to wear bindings today_, she thought, sighing as the cool ocean wind caressed her newly exposed skin. She looked over and saw Mugen's discarded red haori draped over the driftwood log, and an idea popped in her head. She reached over to grab it, then stood to move a few feet away from the log to an open patch of sand. She spread out the haori and lowered herself to lay on her stomach, her head pillowed by her arms. Her face was angled towards the water, and she watched as some seagulls soared above the waves a few dozen feet out to sea. The sun beat relentlessly down on her back, but she didn't mind now that she wasn't being stifled by her kimono. Her eyes began to droop, and before long the heat on her back and the sound of the waves lulled her to sleep.

A light kick to her ribs woke Fuu, and she opened her eyes to find herself on her back, having rolled off the red haori and now on the bare sand. The sun was not quite overhead anymore. A smirking Mugen stood above her with his arms crossed. He nudged her again, to her irritation.

"Wake up, or I'm gonna eat your rabbit," he said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a fire blazing with several sticks skewered with meat propped up around it.

"No fish?" she asked, blinking up at the pirate, who looked like he was trying to contain the laughter in his eyes.

"Four-Eyes is completely hopeless. He's been sitting on that rock for over 2 hours and hasn't had a nibble." Mugen sniggered before reaching down to grab his haori and moving to seat himself by the fire. He picked up one of the blackened skewers and bit into it, but the smile never left his face. Fuu wondered what he was so amused about, but her stomach growled as the smell wafted over to her. She tried to sit up, but a painful pulling sensation on her skin made her gasp softly. She looked down and saw the red skin of her chest above her bindings, and quickly moved to cover herself with her kimono. The skin of her arms and shoulders protested, though, and she groaned as she stopped with one sleeve halfway on. The redness was spread across her chest, neck and shoulders, and any time she moved her skin would pull tightly and painfully.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, _owww_," she groaned, still struggling to pull on her sleeves. Mugen's chuckle made her whip her head around to glare at him, but the pain of moving the skin on her neck made her wince.

"What the hell are _you _laughing at?" she demanded. Mugen's mouth morphed into a cocky grin that made her want to throttle him.

"Looks like you got a little _too_ much sun, girlie," he chuckled. She pouted, but even doing _that_ made her face ache.

"You could've woken me up earlier, you know!" she said, giving up on pulling on her kimono and resigning herself to Mugen's inevitable teasing about the size of her chest.

"Yeah, I _could _have." Mugen grinned wickedly. She flipped him the bird, but he ignored her, turning his attention back to his skewer. A shadow fell across her, and she turned to see Jin standing behind her, and she bit back a groan from the pain of moving. The normally pale skin of his face, back, and shoulders was now tinged red like hers, and the reserved expression he usually wore was noticeably dejected. Mugen looked up from eating and nearly choked on the meat when he saw Jin. He swallowed quickly before bursting out laughing, slapping his knee with his free hand. Fuu ignored him and smiled pityingly up at Jin.

"Sorry you didn't catch any fish, Jin," she said sincerely, as Mugen cackled in the background. Jin's eyebrow twitched as he sighed.

"I've accepted that I do not have the skills to be a fisherman," he said, moving around her to make his way to the fire. She noticed how he winced when he moved, and she could honestly sympathize with him at that moment. Fuu stood and followed him to the fire, every movement of her arms and shoulders making her wince. She settled down next to Jin, and across the fire Mugen was still struggling to control his mirth. Both Jin and Fuu fixed him with a piercing glare, but this only made Mugen laugh harder.

"How come _you _aren't as red as us right now?" Fuu demanded, extremely annoyed. Mugen wiped away a tear as his laughter subsided, which made Fuu's lip curl in irritation.

"Because I'm not some pansy ass delicate little flower like you two," he said, chuckling as he bit into the meat of his skewer. Fuu huffed but said nothing as she and Jin reached for their own skewers, and both tried not to move too much while eating. When they were finally done, and Mugen had calmed down enough to finish his own meat, they tossed their empty skewers into the fire. Mugen laid down on his side with his hand propping up his head and scratched his stomach. Jin and Fuu, however, couldn't move too much without it being painful. Fuu groaned as she tried once again to pull on her kimono.

"Why does it hurt so much to move?" she complained. Mugen _tched_ as he dug in his ear with his pinky finger.

"Just wait 'til tomorrow, then you'll _really _feel it. With a sunburn like that you're gonna feel that ache for a couple days," he said. Jin quirked a brow.

"Sunburn?" he asked, as though testing out the word in his mouth. Mugen frowned at him.

"Don't tell me you guys have never gotten a sunburn before?" he asked, sitting up and pointing back and forth between Fuu and Jin. The two in question frowned and shook their heads in unison. Mugen barked out a laugh and slapped his knee again.

"Oh, _man_, this is too fuckin' priceless!" he said gleefully. "Looks like the Ryukyus got one up on you sorry bitches!"

* * *

_I originally wanted this to be a short one-shot, but I'm probably gonna have to continue this with a part two. We'll see :)_


	3. Lullaby

_Stupid Author's Note:_

_I was always fascinated by the fact that Mugen recognized the song that Okuru, an Ainu man, was playing in the Lullabies of the Lost arc. Combined with the fact that _Obokuri-eeumi_ that plays during his drowning scene is an Amami folk song (according to the description in a Youtube video of it) makes me wonder if Mugen would have learned a version of the song growing up. Regardless, it's an incredibly beautiful song that makes my heart ache when I listen to it. If Mugen seems terribly OOC in this, I'm making the excuse that becoming a father probably caused some changes in him. Plus, I think we can all agree that if he and Fuu had a daughter that she would be Daddy's little princess and have him wrapped around her finger. Daddy!Mugen gives me feels, alright?_

_Also, I know songfics are terribly clichéd, but DAMMIT THIS SONG IS BEAUTIFUL AND DESERVES A FIC._

_I don't own Samurai Champloo *sighs wistfully*_

* * *

Lullaby

The cry of his baby girl wakes Mugen from a fitful dream. The memory of the moonlight dancing on the water above him and the muted sound of his own heartbeat in his ears as he sank deeper fades, and he cracks his eyes open to the sight of Fuu curled up next to him. The dent between her eyebrows and the shadows under her eyes speak of many nights of being woken by their daughter, and lack of sleep means a very cranky Fuu in the morning. She stirs at the sound of another cry from the small cot in the corner, but Mugen brushes the hair from her face and presses his lips to her forehead.

"I'll get her," he mumbles, and Fuu's tense expression softens as she hums and buries her face in the pillow. She never even opens her eyes, and soon she is asleep again.

Mugen pulls himself out of the warmth of their futon and shuffles the short distance to their daughter's cot.

"What's all the fuss, little girlie? Huh?" he says softly, his voice deep from sleep. Her little legs kick at her blanket, and her little face is scrunched up in a cry. Mugen wraps her in her blanket and tucks her into the crook of his arm. He rocks back and forth gently, bringing up a hand to let her grasp a finger. She quiets, but is still whimpering softly as he bounces her lightly.

"Listen, if you don't go to sleep soon your mom's gonna wake up, then both her _and_ me are gonna be tired and cranky in the morning, which won't be good for anybody," he says, bringing his daughter up closer to his face. Her stormy gray eyes – _his _eyes – and her little button nose – _Fuu's_ nose – are still scrunched up in a whimper.

Mugen huffs softly, and presses his lips to her small forehead before shifting her to his shoulder, her little face towards his neck. He holds her up by her bottom and rubs her back, but she continues to sniffle and cry into his neck. He sighs, trying to remember any of the other methods Fuu uses to get their daughter to go to sleep after fussing. The only one he hasn't tried makes him groan inwardly at the thought of doing it, but Fuu always says it's her "ace in the hole" when trying to get their daughter to sleep – a term she had borrowed from him.

Mugen begins humming, something noncommittal that doesn't really have any tune, but soon after he starts his baby girl's sniffling quiets. Surprised, he pulls her away from his shoulder to find her eyes open and focused on him. She stuffs her small fist in her mouth, and reaches out her free hand towards his face. Her little brows draw together, reminding Mugen of her mother when Fuu is frustrated with him, and she whines softly. Mugen quirks a jagged brow, but when he doesn't automatically start humming again her whine becomes louder and fussier. He quickly tucks her against his shoulder again, trying to hush her.

"If you think you're gonna get me to sing you to sleep, little girilie, you got another thing comin'," he murmurs. He continues pat her back and rock her gently, but she refuses to quiet down, her little fists clenched against his collarbone. Mugen sighs, knowing that his daughter already has him wrapped around her finger, before she can even walk.

"Fine, you little brat, I'll sing you a damn song," he grumbles, racking his brain for any songs he knew, which honestly isn't that many. Growing up in the Ryukyus hadn't exposed him to much music, aside from little songs Koza used to make up when they were children.

Suddenly, he remembers a woman musician who had been brought to Ryukyus for murdering her husband, and had ended up on the small island where he had been born. He remembers her singing voice was very unique, almost _raw_, and no matter what song she was singing she always managed to make the song sound beautifully tragic. There was only song of hers that had ever been ingrained in his mind.

He knows his voice is nowhere near perfect, and he figures he's probably tone deaf, but nevertheless he opens his mouth and begins to sing to the little girl in his arms.

"_In search of new lands, I build a new house…_"

Memories surface unbidden. He and Fuu coming upon a small abandoned house near the ocean, and Fuu claiming this was to be there new home.

"_I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles,_

_I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles…_"

Refurbishing the house over the next few weeks, Fuu puts aside any money she could so they could make this shitty rundown heap into a home. He chops down trees and strips wood to replace the rotten-through walls, while Fuu watches and makes new shoji screens.

"_At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites. _

_At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites. _

_Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred black kites…"_

Finally, they finish and stand admiring their hard work. Fuu twining their fingers together and leading him inside, a suggestive smile on her face. He smirks and tightens his hold on her fingers as they enter their new bedroom.

"_The eighth month is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear _

_I want to dress gaily, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve?..._"

Three months later and they know Fuu is pregnant. She's overjoyed, but all he feels at the time is overwhelming panic. When they tell Jin and Shino, who live close by and have two little ones of their own, Mugen discreetly takes Jin aside and bombards him with questions about the coming months. The small smile on Jin's face irritates Mugen to no end.

"_I wish to dress my children and loved ones… in the one kimono that I own _

_As for me, I will wear vines… that I plucked deep in the mountains…"_

Fuu gives birth in that house they remade and claimed as their own. The midwife tries to get Mugen to wait outside, but the look he gives her will haunt her dreams for the next couple weeks. After, Fuu lies reclined against a pile of pillows, sweaty and exhausted with their daughter at her breast. Mugen drapes his red haori over her shoulders, the garment large enough that it engulfs their daughter as well. Fuu looks up at him and smiles, and he thinks his heart couldn't be fuller than it is at that moment.

"_The light of the full moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light _

_When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little…"_

Sometimes the memory of sinking deeper into the cold dark waters is overwhelming enough that he jerks awake in a cold sweat. On these nights, Fuu folds him into her embrace and he buries his face in her neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He loves how she's filled out since having the baby, because now there is more of her to anchor him to this world.

Only, on this night, his baby girl is the one who saves him from his dreams.

Mugen's voice drifts off, and he shifts the little girl in his arms to look at her face, and sees his daughter fast asleep. A smirk appears on his tan face.

"You must be tone deaf, kid, if me singing gets you to sleep," he says softly. Gently, he lifts her and set her back in her cot, tucking the blanket up around her little torso. He watches the steady rise and fall of her chest for a moment before turning to shuffle back to the futon. He lifts the sheet and slithers in next to Fuu, who hasn't moved a muscle. He slides closer and drapes an arm over her waist, cocooning himself around her warmth and closing his eyes.

"That was a pretty song…" her sleepy voice reaches his ears, and his eyes snap open. He glances down to see her blinking up at him, a small smile on her face. Mugen smirks and pulled her closer, tucking her under his chin.

"Don't expect a serenade anytime soon," he mumbles, closing his eyes again. Fuu yawns and buries her face in his chest.

"Hmm, no, but…teach me…song…?" her voice fades as she drifts off to sleep again. Mugen breathes in the scent of her hair.

"Sure, whatever you want, girlie."


End file.
